Backers want this Naugatuck Valley area to become a destination for people looking for more affordable housing in pricey Fairfield County. But critics said they wonder if the more than 500 new apartments could be too many at once.

Not so, says the attorney for Valley Glen, a cluster of seven buildings that will be built on a 13-acre parcel at 740 Bridgeport Ave., behind Planet Fitness, if approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

A marketing report done for Talbot Partners LLC, the developers, found that "going forward, with the number of baby boomers and echo baby boomers, there will be a tremendous need for more of them," said attorney Dominick Thomas.

Echo boomers, also called Generation Y or the Millennial Generation, were born between 1982 and 1995.

"Echo boomers are finding it difficult to buy a home because of the down payment," he said.

"They are also not as focused on home ownership, the way (the boomer generation) was." They also like more flexibility, Thomas added.

For retired persons, renting instead of owning relieves them of the ongoing concerns of home ownership.

"If something happens in your apartment, you can just call someone to fix it," Thomas said.

He said that, despite their cost, it's sometimes difficult to find one in the area.

The Valley Glen units, a mix of studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments averaging 1,200 square feet -- would rent for between $1,500 and $2,000 a month.

"If you add up the cost to own a home, the rentals can be considered affordable," he said.

He added that he does see a trend toward renting, rather than owning, for a number of reasons, in particular the flexibility of not being tied to a mortgage.

Van Cisin said it's also ideal for those who don't want the challenges of owning a home. "Some people just don't want to deal with yard work anymore," he said.

Thomas said Valley Glen, which would cost about $30 million to construct, could bring in about $850,000 a year in city taxes.

Some issues were raised during a public hearing on the proposal Thursday night by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Commission member Joan Flannery said that while the developers consider the rents affordable, she thought "wanting $1,700 for a regular apartment" was "kind of high."

Commission member Virginia Harger said she was concerned about the elevation of the buildings and how they would fit the topography of the area.

She said she worked at a nearby company for years and is aware of how the land there slopes. The buildings will vary from three to four stories tall.

"People in one building might end up looking at the roof of a nearby building," Harger said Friday.

The developer is asking the commission for a zone change from office park district to a planned development district. The current zoning doesn't allow residential use.

Thursday's public hearing was continued to Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

Meanwhile, Avalon Bay is compiling a list of potential renters for its downtown apartments, according to Grant Taber, the company's development director.

The five-story complex will house one- and two-bedroom units, ranging in size from 700 to 1,400 square feet, with rents ranging from $1,300 to $2,000 per month, depending on the size of the unit. "We should begin occupying those apartments in February," he said Friday.

Taber said the company already has a luxury rental community in the city, called Avalon Huntington, with 99 two- and three- bedroom, multi-level apartment units. "There's 95 percent occupancy there," he said.